The GOP's Data Center Panic

Not even a year ago, leaders in states across the country were eager to attract data centers — the giant computer warehouses that power artificial intelligence. They offered tax breaks and made big promises to bring these facilities to their states. But now, many of those same politicians are doing a complete U-turn, worried that voters are turning against data centers because of higher electric bills and fears about job losses.

Between March and July of this year, public opinion shifted 12 points against building new data centers, according to a national poll. That is a very fast change in how people feel about something. As a result, data centers have become one of the biggest issues in elections happening across the country this year.

In Texas, Republican Ken Paxton recently proposed blocking data centers that use Chinese technology. He also wants to hold data centers responsible if their AI systems harm children online. Texas Governor Greg Abbott even announced a pause on new data centers — even though he had called his state the 'epicenter of AI development' just months before.

In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers called for a one-year halt on new data centers, even though he had supported them before. His Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, wants data centers to pay for their own power costs, use less water, and let local communities have a real say in whether centers are built near them.

In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds — who is widely expected to become the state's next Governor — spent more than two million dollars on a single campaign ad promising to 'protect' Florida from data centers. This was a surprising reversal. Just weeks earlier, Donalds had made fun of people who opposed data centers, saying, 'There ain't no bans coming.'

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has stayed strongly in favor of data centers. He believes they help the United States stay ahead of other countries in technology. 'Communities that don't take a data center, they're making a mistake,' Trump said recently. This puts many Republican candidates in a tough spot, since it is usually risky for Republicans to disagree with Trump.

The issue is not only affecting Republicans. In Wisconsin, Republican Tom Tiffany has nicknamed his Democratic opponent 'Data Center David Crowley' and has been pointing out his own opposition to tax breaks for data centers. His opponent, Crowley, says not all data centers are the same and that a balanced approach is needed. 'All data centers are not all created equal,' Crowley said.

Perhaps nowhere are data centers hurting a candidate more than in Ohio. Republican Senator Jon Husted is trailing Democrat Sherrod Brown, and his own party's campaign team says data centers are the top reason. In a leaked memo, Senate Republicans wrote: 'More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted's neck.'

Brown's message fits his long history of standing up for working-class people. He argues that data centers are a symbol of an AI revolution that could take away jobs, give more power to wealthy tech companies, and leave everyday workers behind. The Republican memo warned that if Husted loses and data centers get the blame, politicians everywhere will stop supporting them.

The numbers show just how fast the backlash is growing. In just one recent month, 150 communities across the country banned new data centers, bringing the total to more than 500. Data centers now use about 4 percent of all the electricity in the entire United States, and in Virginia alone, about 25 percent of all energy goes to data centers.